VHP unlikely to endorse Narendra Modi for PM's post at Dharma Sansad

Allahabad: All eyes are on Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Dharma Sansad on Thursday and whether Narendra Modi will be hailed as the Prime Ministerial candidate. While VHP leader Ashok Singhal has openly endorsed Modi, many are looking at it as VHP's attempt to build bridges with Modi.

A splash of politics at the Maha Kumbh of faith as BJP President Rajnath Singh made his way to the VHP core committee meet, it was clear, 2014 was on his mind. Rajnath said, "I have come here for a spiritual experience and not to hold any political discussions."

The poster boy of Hindutva - Narendra Modi - may not have come to the Kumbh yet but he is the point of conversation everywhere. Will the VHP's Dharma Sansad endorse Modi as the PM candidate? The organisation is split over the question.

Ashok Singhal is openly pitching for him but Modi's pet peeve Praveen Togadia, refuses to even take the Gujarat Chief Minister's name in his press interactions. While Singhal compared Modi to Nehru, Togadia said he will not talk about one person or one party.

Though a product of the sangh, Modi and the VHP haven't had the best of relations in the past. The Gujarat Chief Minister has wiped away the organisation in his state. Singhal's statement is being seen as an attempt to build bridges with the the rising star of the BJP.

Irked by all the attention Modi is getting, the Samajwadi Party (SP) warned the BJP to keep politics away from the Kumbh. A destination where 10 crore people are expected to pass through, is a pretty good place to make a political point.

The VHP is doing exactly that right outside their camp at the Maha Kumbh. As the politics over Modi heats up it's not just the BJP or Modi who will keep a close watch at the Dharma Sansad but the Opposition as well. As the say, what happens at the Maha Kumbh certainly doesn't stay at the Kumbh.